Starting today till Friday, a Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn will meet Under-Secretary for Relations with States Mgr Antonio Camilleri. In recent months, the Communist state has cracked down on human rights activists, Catholics included.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The fourth meeting of the Joint Vietnam-Holy See Working Group began this morning in Rome as part of ongoing talks between the Vatican and Hanoi to establish full diplomatic relations between the two sides. The Vietnamese delegation is led by Deputy Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn, who will meet Under-Secretary for Relations with States Mgr Antonio Camilleri, who heads the Vatican team.

The third meeting was held in February 2012, in Hanoi, where it was decided that the next conference would take place in the Vatican. Progress in bilateral relations is expected at this venue, even problems connected to religious freedom persist in the Asian country.

In recent months in fact, Vietnamese authorities have cracked down on activists, including Catholics, fighting for the greater democratisation of the nation, respect for property rights against forced evictions (also of Church assets), and amendments to the Constitution.

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.